Tinta is humming to the tune of a song, and as he walks, he bumps against an object which he looks at immediately.
"Hey, you're alright?" Tinta crouches in front of a girl, "Where's your parent?"
"Oh, sorry, sir!"
Tinta looks up, and here, he sees a woman catching her breath. He looks back at the face of the child in front of him.
"What's your name?" he asked calmly.
The girl brings out a card, and gently extends it to him. Tinta reads the words embedded on the card.
His eyes widen while moving his eyes back to the girl's eyes. "I'm sorry for what I said.Do you want an ice cream?"
The girl looks at the woman behind her, and she looks back while Tinta looks at the girl and back at the woman.
Later on, the trio are in the park. The girl is licking her strawberry ice cream on a cone while Tinta and the woman are talking to each other while standing in front of the girl.
"Oh, Carla is an orphan?" Tinta looks at Carla in the corner of his eyes, "She was rejected for having a disability, that's awful."
"Yes, sir, that's why she was rejected for 10 years," the woman sighs, "that's why I am educating the couples who are visiting the orphanage about her disability. In that way, they can comprehend that she is the same as the other orphans.
"And that she will never inflict any bad luck or cause any accidents."
Tinta's eyebrows furrow a bit while watching Carla. He inhales and looks at the woman, and with a calm voice, he says, "I pity the child because every child should deserve righteous love.
"A love that will never vanish even when they're tired to understand her situation."
Tinta looks back at the woman, "Your name is Mumbo, isn't it?"
Mumbo nods repeatedly while looking at Tinta.
Tinta nods, and looks at his wristwatch "Can I go with you, I want to see the orphanage."
Mumbo smiles and she bows down. She straightens her posture and tells him with a stare full of joy. "I will be glad to take you there."
"The way you respond is weird, my goodness. Just take me there." Tinta closed his eyes and caressed his forehead.
Afterward, they are now standing in front of the orphanage.
"Is this the orphanage?" Tinta stares at the tarpaulin attached to the wall just above the entrance, "The head defense representative of Malabon, Jasmine Anne I. Ignacio."
"You know her?" Mumbo asked.
Tinto hums in response, and answers, "Yes, she was a former classmate of a person I know."
Mumbo looks at Tinta while holding Carla's hand. "What is your ranking as a student guardian? You seem to be a smart student so it will be easy for you to be one of the top-ranking students."
"Well, I didn't attend any class," Tinta replies, voice full of composure, "I believe that I can gain the knowledge of a student guardian just by reading books."
Both enter the orphanage. Inside, people wearing blue polo shirts and wearing varieties of maong pants are standing at some spots.
"Nobody told me that we will be having a visitor, ", an old woman approached them.
Mumbo looks at Tinta and looks back at the old woman. "This is my friend, Tinta, and he's here to–!"
"Good day, madam!" Tinta bows down, "I want to work here!"
"Work?" the old lady spoke in shock.
"Oh, forgive him, madam! He is here too–!"
Tinta raises his hand in front of Mumbo putting a stop to his speech, therefore, he looks straight into the old lady's eyes.
"I am not asking for a high salary, I just want to work here in Good Heart Orphanage," he says, voice full of determination, "because it is my dream to work in an orphanage, and to play with orphans."
The old lady's eyes brighten up, and she smiles widely at the young man. She claps her hand, and gently slaps his shoulder.
"Well, you're hired!" the old lady looks at Mumbo, "Since you are a friend of his, then you both will be partners in work."
The old lady walks away from them as Carla stares at the duo. Mumbo looks at Tita with raging eyes.
"What was that about?!" Mumbo yelled at him.
"What's wrong to work here?" Tinta looked at him with a lousy stare.
Tinta goes toward the other side of Carla. He looks at Mumbo with a raised eyebrow, and Mumbo looks at him from head to toe.
"W-Why are you looking like that?" A red tint appears on his cheeks, "Stop that!"
"Are you not going to tour me?" Tinta looked at him from the corner of his eyes.
After that talk, Tinta and Mumbo are walking in the massive hallway of the orphanage. Mumbo is pointing his hands from door to door as he's speaking words while Tinta is paying attention while nodding.
Both reach a huge painting. Tinta stares at each part of the painting.
"Is this the elder that spoke to us?" Tinta pointed his index finger at the elder woman standing behind the children in the painting.
Mumbo looks at where Tinta is pointing at, therefore, she tells him. "Yes, and please don't call her an elder woman... madam is great though."
"Well, tell me more about this orphanage, and if it will be great, tell me a story about madam."
She begins to calmly tell him. "The orphanage was built in 2005 by her great-grandfather.
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"Her great-grandfather dreamed of giving every neglected child an equal opportunity to feel love and affection even if they have special needs.
"It was passed to his next generation until it reached her generation."
Tinta gently shakes his upwards and downwards, and says, "What about madam, was she a nice leader to all of you?"
Mumbo remains staring at the painting, without showing any changes of emotions, she responds with a nod.
"She was one of the best leaders that I have met," she turns in another direction with her back facing Tinta, "We're done here, Tinta. I think you should rest in our room."
"Here's some spare keys to our room," she tosses keys toward Tinta, "don't wander around or you might get caught by the guards."
Tinta raises his hand and catches the keys, and he slides it inside the pocket of his pants.
He holds a part of his dark grey bomber jacket, and pushes it aside; a small round glass container containing a blue fire is hanging on the pocket inside his jacket
"I must admit, fireball," Tinta remains looking straight while ambling, "I hate that I added a pocket inside of my jacket."
"Listen, Tinta, we got no time to waste," a voice from the fireball calmly speaks in Tinta's head, "our plan, just finish it."
Tinta says, "You surely don't like to know how my day went, right?"
"Oh, please! Of course!" the voice replied.
"I'll have to make bond with the child," Tinta said.
"And why will you do that?! Your mission is way more significant than playing with a child who is a stranger!"
Tinta closes his eyes after hearing those words, and he says, "Because, I am speculating that the child who I want to bond with, is the child that our enemy is seeking to have."
"Oh... a complete idiot," the voice said in shock.
"I'm not being an idiot," Tinta narrows his eyes, and clenches his hands, "I will finish this mission and take that child away from here."
He begins to walk hurriedly without making a noise in the wooden hallway. His eyes are wandering as he makes a move, however, he hides behind a wooden pillar upon seeing an employee walking right in front of him.
He arrives in front of a white door, and he brushes the sweat from his forehead.
"I knew it."
He quickly brought out his sword but he felt a sharp sensation on his nape causing him to stop moving.
"Mumbo?" Tinta closes his eyes a bit, "How did you know?"
Mumbo is standing behind him while she's pointing her dagger on his nape; its blade is settling on his nape.
"Madam will not be happy to know that she let a rat in her territory," Mumbo told him.
"Catch me but you'll never know any information." Tinta sighed.
She lowers her dagger away from his nape, and Tinta turns around. He looks straight into her eyes as she does the same while putting the dagger on its sheath hanging on her belt.
"I have a feeling that you are here to investigate this orphanage," she tells him, "before putting a conclusion on my theory, I tested you and through your words, I knew that you are a nice person."
"Then take me to where my answer is," Tinta says, "before anyone knew our plan."
"Our?" Mumbo laughs while holding her belly and slapping her knee, "I'm not a part of your team! You funny!"
Tinta remains looking at her but now, his eyebrow is raised, and then, she stops laughing.
"Follow me," she told him.
Tinta nods, and both start to run in a certain direction. While running beside each other, Tinta glances at her. "Tell me, is there deeper information that I should know?"
"There is," she closes her eyes, "all of us wanted to report to the authorities but we've been prevented by a threat."
"Kill your family?" Tinta asked.
She nods and opens her eyes. "But our family is the orphans here. I've been living here 26 years."
"Then does that mean," he hums while moving his eyes toward her, "an orphan as well?"
She remains quiet while Tinta stares at her for a couple of minutes. Hence, both of them are now inside a large office with a wooden brown ceiling, tiled red walls, and a wooden red floor.
An audible sound echoes from a speaker hanging on the ceiling inside the office.
"I am aware of your plans, Mumbo. After all that I did to sustain your growth? This is what you will give me?"
Tinta looks at her. "Hey, let's get the document, and I'll help you escape!"
She remains having her back facing him. Tinta steps toward her but she turns around and swings her dagger so fast.
Tinta merely dodges the dagger, and then, he looks at his jacket.
"She almost got me," Tinta said.
"We're going to your location," a voice spoke in his mind.
"Don't be anxious for my safety, Ignacio," Tinta smiles, "I got this one."
Tinta glares at her. "Mumbo, what is truly your plan?! Is it to help the orphans or to help that criminal."
Madam speaks again through the speaker, saying, "Oh, sorry, my child... there's no way that you can prevent me from doing my plans.
"Mumbo is under my control, and through using her, I will do any means to stop you from escaping.
"Or if you will just surrender to your new mama, then, I will let you live."
Tinta lays down his hand while he keeps staring at Mumbo whose eyes are white.
Tinta says, "I don't show any mercy. She deserves to have my mercy because, for her entire life, she has been working here.
"She treated the orphans as if they were like her own biological family."
He looks up at the speaker. "Damn, your ability! Damn, the likes of you! I will stop you at any cost!
"Free the orphans and those who are forced to follow! Even if it takes my whole life."
He begins to fasten his walk as Mumbo swings her dagger along with the movement of her feet.
Both clash towards each other but Tinta slaps her dagger from her hand. He holds her hand and breaks her arm, therefore, he steps closer to her nape and strikes it with his other hand.
She falls to the ground but Tinta holds her, lifts her, and lays her properly on the floor.
"Now, I need to take the document," Tinta goes toward the nearest table, "while we're running, she told me that she could get controlled."
He brings out his sword, and slices the table in half while saying, "She said that it's here! The evidence that I need!"
Tinta looks on the ground, and crouches. He extends his hand towards the dark folder on the ground.
He holds the handle of his sword, lifts it from its sheath, and swings it up while moving his eyes upward.
Tinta clashed his sword against an elderly woman holding a longsword. He pushes her and goes toward her at full speed, however, she strikes him multiple times with her sword but he avoids it.
He cuts the blade of her longsword with his sword. He holds the back of her face; their eyes causing her eyes to sparkle.
He slams her face on the ground, and he thrusts his sword on the back of her head.
Thereafter, he steps out of the room with the folder inside his jacket, and he runs at full speed.
Minutes ago before Tinta and Mumbo reached the office. Both remain running in the empty hallway with wooden walls and ceilings, and ceiling lights.
"Tinta is your name isn't it?" Mumbo asked.
Tinta nods in response.
"I knew all along that you're the person destined to rescue Carla from this hell."
She looks at him. "This might be the last time we'll face each other... you see, madam implanted something on in me.
"I am aware that the object she implanted in my body can put me under her control like what she did to my best friend."
"Best friend? I thought you didn't have any friends in here?" Tinta glanced at her.
She chuckles and her eyes show sadness and she looks down. "I tried anything that I could do to stop her from rebelling against Madam, but she didn't listen.
"As a consequence, she was killed right in front of our eyes. After that, I lost all my courage but after meeting you and knowing what your plan is, I gained that courage once again."
Tinta shakes his head. "I'm confused, what made you trust me? I was a total stranger and I'm not that trustable."
She chuckles. "I eavesdropped on your conversation with the glass inside your jacket."
Tinta raises a question. "Wait? Do you have the ability to not be seen or detected?"
She replies with a slight smile. "Through the eyes that I built from my blood which I secretly hid in your uniform and on every ceiling of the hallway, I was able to know all the words you've said."
Her smile disappears. "I just want to request something that I wanted to do for them."
"I'm listening," he said calmly.
"Please, rescue Carla, and every orphans in this orphanage," she wipes the tear from the corner of her eyes, "I can't stand seeing them being manipulated into believing that they'll be in good hands.
"Give them the righteous love that they deserve."
Tinta closes his eyes for a few minutes, opens them, and says, "I will do as you say."